


Working Out the Tension

by banjkazfan



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Established Relationship, Gladio wants to help, I'm Bad At Tagging, Ignis is really stressed out, M/M, Massage, No Spoilers, Stress Relief, Takes place sometime during chapter 1, Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 07:13:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9224492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/banjkazfan/pseuds/banjkazfan
Summary: “Funny I’m up before you,” he grinned.  “Sleepin’ on the job, huh, Iggy?”  Before Ignis could reply, Gladio once again leaned in and pressed his mouth against Ignis’.  It took only a moment for the kiss to deepen, and Gladio felt pretty pleased with himself as he let his tongue tease against the other man’s.Pleased until somethingplasticbrushed against Gladio’s tongue and he jolted back in surprise.“Thehellis that?!”Even after all this time together, there were still more things to learn about each other.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Edit February 13: Over 100 kudos?? Thank you everyone!

The sun was just beginning to tint the night sky red with the first streaks of dawn when Gladio opened his eyes.  Briefly he checked his phone – 4:00 am.  Damn, he was up earlier than usual.  Well, there was no point in going back to sleep now.  Gladio grunted and stretched, trying to take up as little space as possible while getting himself moving.  The tent was typically sizable enough for all four of them, as long as he didn’t try to stretch too far.

Though he wasn’t surprised to find Noctis and Prompto still sleeping, he was mildly surprised to find Ignis still asleep.  Usually the bespectacled man was awake to prepare breakfast before any of them had even thought about waking up.  Typically he was also the last to climb into bed at the end of a long day as well, Gladio realized with a frown.  It seemed like Ignis was always picking up after each of them (mostly Noct) without complaint.  While Gladio knew his own priority was the prince, it didn’t mean he couldn’t think of the other man. And really, he should think about him - that was part of what they had, wasn’t it?

He looked over the sleeping man and took in the sight of him.  Even in sleep, Ignis’ brow was lightly creased as if he was thinking about the things they had to do, watching the road, or thinking up a new recipe.  He curled one arm around his pillow, still holding that bit of tenseness even in sleep.  Gladio smothered a chuckle at the image of Ignis’ free arm stretched above his head in sleep and his lips slightly parted.

A smirk curled Gladio’s lips as the idea occurred to him.  Well, if Ignis was always looking after them, maybe he could do his part. 

He leaned a little closer, brushing his fingers lightly against the exposed skin of Ignis’ neck and smiling when the brunet shifted slightly, frowning a little harder.  The darker-haired man chuckled softly as he continued his fingers’ slow trail down Ignis’ skin and to the bit that was exposed by the unzipped sleeping bag.

To his delight, Ignis stirred into wakefulness at the touch and blinked blearily up at Gladio.  He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Gladio leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his parted lips, cutting off what was likely going to be a lot of grumbling.

“Funny I’m up before you,” he grinned.  “Sleepin’ on the job, huh, Iggy?”  Before Ignis could reply, Gladio once again leaned in and pressed his mouth against Ignis’.  It took only a moment for the kiss to deepen, and Gladio felt pretty pleased with himself as he let his tongue tease against the other man’s.

Pleased until something _plastic_ brushed against Gladio’s tongue and he jolted back in surprise.

“The _hell_ is that?!”

Ignis sighed and pushed himself up, fixing Gladio with an absolutely withering look.  “As I _attempted_ to tell you,” he said, and Gladio was mildly alarmed to hear a slight _lisp_ to Ignis’ words, “kissing me this early in the morning is not enjoyable.”  He put a breath of space between them and reached into his mouth, Gladio watching him in bafflement.  A moment later, Ignis withdrew his fingers, revealing a curved plastic implement.

“What is _that_?”  Gladio ran a hand through his hair as he squinted down at the tiny thing in Ignis’ hand.  “And why was it in your mouth?”

Another heavy sigh as the adviser procured a small case from seemingly out of nowhere.  “It is a mouth guard,” he said, “though not the kind you would use for sparring.”  He seemed almost _embarrassed_ now as he popped open the case and tucked the guard away.  “I wear it because I grind my teeth at night.”

Gladio sat back and crossed his arms.  “Jeez, Iggy,” he commented.  “Is it that bad?”  Then thinking about it, he realized that there had been many times where he saw the tense set of Ignis’ jaw, but hadn’t let the thought linger as something had usually come up – typically Noctis or Prompto getting into some sort of trouble.  Indirectly he figured that the tightness of the adviser’s jaw was likely _because_ of their two younger party members.

Ignis nodded briskly, closing the case and placing it back with his things.  Gladio wasn’t sure how they’d been traveling together this long and he hadn’t seen it before.  “I tired of the constant headaches and jaw pains and decided this was a viable solution,” Ignis said matter-of-factly.  “It was uncomfortable at first, though discomfort can be overcome with time.  Because I am usually the last one to bed and the first one awake, none of you had noticed that I wear it before this.”  He didn’t seem upset that nobody had noticed – in fact, he seemed grateful for their oversight.

Huh.  Without his glasses, Ignis looked _different_.  The bodyguard leaned a little closer, examining the other man’s face and frowning slightly.  For the first time he noticed the darkness under Ignis’ eyes and wondered just how long that had been there.  Carefully he reached his hand out, brushing his finger across Ignis’ cheek and lightly tracing the outline of the dark circles.  “You’re tired,” he said aloud.  It was a statement more than a question.

The adviser leaned back a little, though not completely away from the touch.  “I am fine,” he said with a frown.  “I get an adequate amount of sleep, Gladio.”

“Yeah, but if you’ve gotta put a piece of _plastic_ in your mouth to sleep, it’s clearly not good enough,” Gladio argued.  “C’mon, Iggy.  You know better than that.”

Now Ignis’ smile was more genuine as he reached for his glasses and put them on.  “We all have our roles to play,” he said dismissively.  “Talking of which, I need to begin preparing breakfast.”  He leaned in and brushed a kiss against Gladio’s still-agape mouth before leaning over to fetch his neatly folded clothes and begin dressing.

Gladio frowned as he watched Ignis dress quickly and leave the tent.  Well, it wasn’t like each of them didn’t have their own burdens to shoulder, but he’d never noticed the actual physical toll it took on each of them.  Sure, he ended up with a few scrapes, bruises, and cuts each day after sparring with Noctis, but when faced with the fact that Ignis was apparently _grinding his teeth_ into nothing, it began to sink in just how much they each gave.

Was he going to change anything that he did?  Hell no; that was his job.  He was still going to ride Noct in training and protect the prince with his life. Gladio wouldn’t have it any other way.

Was he going to try and help Ignis with any of his duties?  _Hell_ no; he knew better than to try and intervene.  It would be a blow to Ignis’ pride if Gladio thought he couldn’t get things done.  Not to mention Gladio had his own things to worry about.  Ignis was a big boy; he didn’t need Gladio to take on any of his responsibilities.

But he could find ways to help Ignis relax, couldn’t he?  Surely that wouldn’t be a problem.

Gladio dressed as well, a little less gracefully than Ignis did.  Not that finesse mattered; the younger two were still sound asleep and likely would be for at least another hour or two.

Well, maybe 3 or 4 more hours for Noctis.  He scoffed to himself and left the tent.

Ignis was at the folding table that he used for food prep, chopping up vegetables for breakfast (Gladio hoped they were for omelets), his back to the tent.  The bodyguard stepped closer, waiting just a breath away until Ignis had laid down his knife to reach for the red onion nearby.

“Are you going for a run?” the adviser asked, glancing back over his shoulder.

“Nah, not yet.”  Gladio placed his hand across the handle of the knife to stop Ignis from picking it back up.  “In a bit.”

Ignis looked curiously back at Gladio, a bit of irritation furrowing his brow.  “Alright,” he said slowly.  “Might I have my knife back, then?”

The larger man’s smile grew at the opening he was given.  “Nah, not yet,” he repeated, barely able to contain his glee.  “In a bit.”

Now Ignis turned around, his frown deepening as he stared Gladio in the eyes.  “And what is that supposed to mean?” he demanded, one eyebrow rising straight up.

“Stop bitchin’; go sit down.”  Gladio reached out and gave Ignis’ shoulder a squeeze.  When Ignis made no move to follow the order, he frowned and leaned in, brushing his lips against Ignis’ briefly.  “C’mon already.  I’ll help you with breakfast after.”

Both eyebrows rose now as he looked at the taller man.  He wanted to protest and complain that there wouldn’t be enough time for him to finish breakfast, but there was something so earnest in Gladio’s gaze that he found it difficult to disagree.  “Very well,” he finally said.  He crossed the campsite to the chairs still sitting around the fire and chose the seat he typically sat in.  Ignis settled in, curious as to what Gladio was planning.

He made to turn back when he heard heavy footsteps approaching, but jumped when surprisingly gentle hands landed on his shoulders.  “Gladio?”  His voice was curious as those hands began to press into the skin.

“Just relax, will ya?”  Gladio pressed his thumbs into the muscle of Ignis’ shoulders and started to massage slowly.  He frowned at how hard the muscle felt despite knowing that Ignis wasn’t flexing right now.  “Jeez, Iggy,” he said.  “You’re really damn tense.”

Ignis managed a tired chuckle through his teeth.  It was painful for sure, but almost in a blissful way.  He knew that was simply Gladio working out the tension and that it would feel even better soon.  “I do have a charge who causes me stress,” he reminded Gladio, rolling his shoulders into the touch.

“Yeah, but you and I both know you wouldn’t have it any other way.” Gladio continued to massage slowly, deepening his presses when he felt Ignis’ muscles slowly beginning to uncoil.  “You gotta tell me before it gets this bad again, you hear?” he said, sliding his hands up to rub at the base of Ignis’ skull.  The brunet’s hair was soft, as he hadn’t yet gelled up the front.  His thumbs rolled in slow circles and he dared to lean in and press a kiss to the back of Ignis’ neck.

“Oh, that’s good,” Ignis breathed out as the massage moved up into his hair.  “Mmm, Gladio…”

Gladio swallowed a little.  Well, he’d definitely wanted to help Ignis relax, but now it had backfired slightly.  Now _he_ was tense for very different reasons.

Maybe they could take care of that after breakfast.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Ignis stood, rolling his neck lightly.  He hadn’t felt this good in a _long_ time.  With a small smile, he turned around and caught Gladio’s chin in his hand.  “Thank you,” he said, a little bit of a sigh in his voice.  “That was wonderful.”

The fact that Ignis sounded so relaxed and blissed out – well, as blissed out as Ignis could manage to sound, anyways – made Gladio smile.  He’d done good, and Ignis looked calm and collected.  “Yeah, no problem,” he said with a wave of his hand.  “Like I said, don’t let it get that bad again.  Ask me.”

There was a brief pause as the bespectacled man considered this.  He was loathe to ask for help, but the fact that Gladio was willing to do so…  “I’ll consider it,” he finally said, and Gladio knew that was as good as he was going to get for now.  “You’re quite good with those hands of yours.”

Gladio chuckled and impulsively ran a hand through Ignis’ hair.  “Yeah, well, they’re not just good for fighting.”  He noticed that Ignis’ hand was still on his chin and gave the other man a curious look.

Ignis hummed thoughtfully, his thumb brushing against Gladio’s lips as a wicked smirk crossed his own.  “I do think I should return the favor,” he murmured lowly.  “It seems that you’ve become a bit tense yourself.” He paused, his hand sliding down to press against Gladio’s chest. “And it isn’t as if the other two will be awake for quite some time...”

Now Gladio grinned as he closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to Ignis’.  _Hell_ yeah.  He liked where this was going.

**Author's Note:**

> ***attempts to tiptoe into the fandom and instead crashes through the floor***
> 
>  
> 
> YO! Okay, so I came up with this idea because I struggle with the same thing that Ignis does. My head is constantly hurting and my jaw is sore because I grind my teeth something awful. My better half gives me neck massages and I thought that Ignis would probably benefit from it as well.
> 
> Uhhhh I might do a second chapter where the favor is repaid. Y'know, if'n y'all want to see something like that.


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